1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the tube clamp art, and more specifically to a tube clamp assembly of the type for clamping rigid couplings used for interconnecting pressurized hydraulic fluid lines and flexible elastomeric grommets disposed about a fluid line for absorbing shock and vibration in order to rigidly support the fluid line in a fixed routing.
2. Description of the Related Prior Art
It is well known in the hydraulic fluid power industry to employ various tube clamping devices for rigidly supporting one or more hydraulic fluid lines in a fixed routing. For example, the U.S. Pat. No. 3,397,431 to Walker, issued Aug. 20, 1968, discloses a tube clamp for rigidly clamping a plurality of tubes in fixed positions. With this clamp, a pair of oppositely disposed U-shaped clamping members are stamped from metal and include a plurality of cylindrical flanges or collars extending perpendicularly outwardly from the clamping members. The collars form seats for clamping cylindrical elastomeric grommet members disposed about a tube to assist in reducing vibration or shock when clamped.
This same tube clamp is also shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,414,220 to Walker, issued Dec. 3, 1968 and 4,878,696 to Walker, issued Nov. 7, 1989. As disclosed in these two patents, the cylindrical collars of the clamping members serve as seats for clamping both rigid couplings used for interconnecting hydraulic fluid lines and elastomeric grommets.
When clamping a pressurized fluid line, it is important that the line be properly supported within the clamp to prevent the line from vibrating and eventually leaking. Fluid leakage, of course, is undesirable. Thus, it is important that grommets and couplings be secured tightly within the clamp to properly support the pressurized fluid line.
The prior art tube clamp is deficient because it can only be used with grommets having outside diameters which are held to extremely tight tolerances. If the outside diameter of the grommet used with the tube clamp is slightly undersized, the tube clamp is inherently incapable of gripping the grommet tightly enough to prevent the grommet from eventually working its way out of the tube clamp, thereby permitting vibration and possible leakage of the fluid line.
The account for this deficiency, the grommets currently produced for use with this tube clamp are manufactured by an expensive forming process in order to produce grommets having the necessary critical outside diameter tolerances.